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Parents urge Fort Mill board to move from resolution to binding action over school-adjacent manufacturing
Summary
Two Flint Hill parents urged the Fort Mill School Board for immediate, binding steps after incidents tied to the Sit Fab/Silfab facility closed their school for two days; administrators and the board discussed e‑learning and state rules governing makeup days and deferred a final decision pending legal and state guidance.
Bridget Lynch and Renee Russ told the Fort Mill School Board at its April meeting that families at Flint Hill Elementary can no longer wait for investigations and incremental updates after recent incidents tied to the Sit Fab/Silfab manufacturing site.
"This situation is a ticking time bomb," Bridget Lynch said, describing how she removed her fourth grader from the school and urging the board to put "teeth" behind the March 10 resolution that asked the manufacturer to halt operations. "Silence feels like you are quietly moving on," she said, pressing the board for immediate, binding steps to protect students.
Renee Russ, a preschool teacher and Flint Hill parent, said the board's request to stop manufacturing was important but insufficient. "We need commitment and persistence," she said, urging the district to pursue solutions that render the facility a neutral location and to keep families informed in a sustained way.
Administrators explained the practical and legal constraints they are balancing. District staff told the board that the State Department of Education (SDE) has taken the position that e‑learning days completed on days when a school is closed do not count toward the statutory minimum of three makeup days required by state law. Under that interpretation, the district has one marked e‑learning day left and still must provide two in-person or otherwise qualifying makeup days for Flint Hill.
District staff proposed two options to remedy two missed Flint Hill days: convert a half-day at the end of the school year to a full instructional day for Flint Hill, and schedule an asynchronous Saturday e‑learning makeup day (administration proposed April 25) so the March 5 and March 6 dates can be counted under SDE rules. Staff said the SDE confirmed the conversions and Saturday proposal were options, but also warned that SDE policy and funding consequences remain unclear and could affect average daily membership and state funding if makeup requirements are not satisfied.
Board members expressed concern about the fairness and educational value of asking one school to come in on Memorial Day or the day after school ends and questioned whether an extra few hours at the end of the year would meaningfully benefit students. A motion to defer immediate action on the calendar/makeup issue passed; board members said they would seek legal counsel and further clarification from the state before deciding on the specific makeup plan and would communicate options to Flint Hill families in the meantime.
The meeting record shows the board acknowledged the March 10 resolution and indicated continued engagement, but did not adopt an immediate binding remedy at this meeting. Staff committed to follow up with state officials and the board's legal counsel and to provide Flint Hill families with updated guidance about potential makeup-day options.
What happens next: the board tabled final action to allow staff to consult legal counsel and continue discussions with the State Department of Education; the administration said it would notify Flint Hill families of options and next steps.
